If you’re looking for garam masala in the grocery store, the most common store location is in the spice aisle. Alternately, you might find it in the international foods section near other Indian food.
Where to Buy Garam Masala Near Me
Some places near me that may stock garam masala include:
- Grocery store
- Health food stores
- International food stores
- Asian markets
- Indian food stores
- Middle eastern grocery stores
- Farmers markets
- Local food co-ops
If you don’t have luck finding it locally, you can always buy it online.
Most stores shelve it alphabetically with other jarred herbs and spices. Since it’s an everyday spice in Indian cuisine, you may find it with international or specialty spices.
The bulk spice section is also a common store location to find garam masala. Simply measure the desired amount into a bag and transfer it to a spice container when you return home.
If you don’t find it in the spice section of your supermarket, you might check store sections that stock international foods. It’s possible to encounter it in the Asian food or Indian food section.
You’re more likely to get a better price on bulk garam masala at an Indian food market. They tend to sell it in large bags for the same price you would find for a small container elsewhere.
Some local stores that often carry garam masala or to order online and pick up in their store include:
- Acme Markets
- Albertsons
- Andronico’s
- Brookshire’s
- City Market
- Carrs
- CTown Supermarkets
- Dillons
- Food 4 Less
- Food City
- Food Lion
- Fred Meyer
- Fry’s
- Gerbes
- Giant Food
- Giant Food Stores
- Hannaford
- Harris Teeter
- H-E-B
- Hy-Vee
- Ingles Markets
- JayC Food Stores
- Jewel-Osco
- King Soopers
- Kroger
- Market Basket
- Mariano’s Fresh Market
- Meijer
- Pavillons
- Pay Less Super Markets
- Piggly Wiggly
- Publix
- QFC
- Ralph’s
- Randalls
- Ruler Foods
- Safeway
- Save Mart
- Schnucks
- Shaw’s
- ShopRite
- Smart & Final
- Smith’s Food and Drug
- Star Market
- Stop & Shop
- Target
- Tom Thumb
- Vons
- Wal-Mart Supercenter
- Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market
- Wegmans
- Weis Markets
Some specialty stores and health food stores that may stock garam masala include:
- Bristols Farms
- Central Market
- Erewhon Market
- FreshDirect
- Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
- Sprouts
- Trader Joe’s
- Whole Foods
- World Market
Ethnic chain stores that carry garam masala include:
- India Bazaar
- New India Bazar
- Rani’s World Foods
There are also tons of online shops unrelated to the above grocery store chains that stock garam masala, including:
- Banyan Botanicals
- Burlap & Barrel
- Distacart
- East West Souk
- Frontier Co-op
- HerbsPro.com
- iHerb
- Mahaekart.com
- Milk Street Store
- Monterey Bay Herb Company
- Nuts.com
- NY Spice Shop
- OliveNation
- Shan Foods Shop
- Spiceology
- SpiceRange.com
- Stonewall Kitchen
- USimplySeason
How to Store Garam Masala
It’s best to store garam masala in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
Avoid storing it in a cabinet above the stove to prevent steam and moisture from diluting its flavor.
If you purchase garam masala in a glass or plastic jar, you can store it directly in the jar.
If you buy garam masala as a loose bulk spice, you will want to transfer it to an airtight container as soon as you get it home to preserve its flavor. A glass jar will conserve the flavor best.
If your garam masala comes packaged in a sealed plastic bag, it’s fine to keep it in the bag until your first use. Then, transfer it to an airtight glass jar to keep it as fresh as possible.
Don’t place it in the refrigerator or freezer to avoid acquiring moisture and losing flavor.
If you must freeze it, be sure to vacuum seal it first to prevent moisture from seeping into the container.
Common Ways to Use Garam Masala
The most common way to use garam masala is to use it to season an Indian food dish at the start, in the middle, or at the end of the cooking process.
However, it’s also a great spice to add to sweet and savory dishes and drinks that aren’t native to India.
Common meat and vegetarian Indian dishes that taste great with garam masala include:
- Baingan barta
- Butter chicken
- Tikka masala
- Curries
- Chana masala
- Murgh makhani
- Samosas
- Tandoori chicken
- Aloo gobi
- Biriyani
- Daal
- Kheema
- Matar paneer
Garam masala is a complicated spice mixture that’s also versatile enough to add to:
- Chili
- Coffee
- Cream cheese or cream cheese frosting
- Fruit butters like apple butter and pear butter
- Lentil soup
- Popcorn
- Baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries
- Butternut squash
- Steamed or roasted vegetables
- Minced beef pies
- Pork chops
- Gingerbread cookies
- Shortbreads
- Banana bread
- Zucchini bread
- Apple pie or apple crisp
- Pumpkin pie
- Hot chocolate
What to Get Instead
If you can’t find garam masala, the best thing to do is to make your own mixture of garam masala if you have or can find the raw ingredients to blend or grind together.
The garam masala spice combination varies from brand to brand, region to region, and kitchen to kitchen. Here are a few garam masala spice blends you can make at home:
- Garam masala 1: one part cloves, one part nutmeg, two parts cinnamon, three parts cardamom, three parts black pepper, four parts cumin
- Garam masala 2: one part cardamom, one part nutmeg, one part star anise, two parts cinnamon, two parts fennel, two parts cloves, four parts black pepper, four parts cumin, eight parts coriander
- Garam masala 3: one part black pepper, one part cinnamon, two parts cloves, two parts cardamom, four parts cumin, eight parts coriander
- Garam masala 4: one part cloves, one part nutmeg, two parts black pepper, three parts cinnamon, four parts cardamom, four parts coriander, eight parts cumin
If you can’t easily find the ingredients to make garam masala, other substitutes include:
- Chaat masala
- Sambhar masala
- Curry powder
- 4 parts cumin, 1 part allspice
- Ras el hangout
- Vadouvan
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Apple pie spice
